CARTER COULDN’T EXPLAIN why he felt a drive to help her. It was more than that. In his mind, there had been no question that he’d do whatever it took to make sure this beautiful young woman stayed safe. He felt as though he’d stumbled across some rare and endangered creature, and instantly recognized it was his life’s work to make sure she was protected in every way.

His fingers itched with the urge to run them across her pale skin, to pause at her mouth and trace the line of her cupid’s bow. But normally, where he would have simply pushed her up against a wall and claimed her mouth with his own, he didn’t feel he could do that with Piper. There was something different about her, and it wasn’t just the scent of her that made his mind blurry with an emotion he couldn’t yet pin down. All the women he knew wore tight fitted jeans, showing off their sexy curves, yet Piper wore a loose smock, which covered her from head to toe. Was it a religious thing? Had she escaped some kind of cult where she wasn’t allowed to show her skin?

He wanted to ask, but just as he felt he couldn’t touch her, as though she was somehow on another level to him, he also instinctively knew he had to give her time to unravel, like the petals of a flower unfurling to the light.

And he had to be that light.

The house was plenty big enough for her to have her own space. He didn’t know what he was thinking—that he’d make her not want to leave? What would the rest of the town think when they discovered he’d brought a strange woman into his home, and into their pack? He couldn’t keep her a secret, could he? That was madness. No, already she seemed stronger since he’d found her in the forest. As shifters, their resources were better than a human’s, and they recovered faster. By morning, she was sure to want to leave and continue with her life.

He guided her up the stairs, toward the guest suite. Though he’d carried her in his arms while naked through the forest, now she seemed more herself, he had to clench his fists at his sides in order to stop himself from placing his palm against the small of her back and guiding her up.

He reached past her to open the door to the bedroom of the guest suite. Though he rarely had guests, it was already set up. Carter crossed the room to the adjoining door and pushed it open to reveal a luxurious bathroom with a full sized bath. Without asking if it was what she wanted, somehow knowing it would help make her feel better, he ran the hot water and added a healthy dash of bubble bath. Steam and a fragrant scent filled the room, and he glanced over his shoulder to see Piper watching him. Tears shimmered in her blue eyes, and his chest tightened.

“What’s wrong?”

She shook her head. “Nothing’s wrong. I’ve just never had anyone do anything for me before.”

Carter frowned. “What are you talking about? Me running you a bath?”

She sniffed. “Yeah, that, and the food you made me.”

“No one’s ever made you food before?”

“Maybe as a child, but as soon as I was able to, I fended for myself. I’ve always been the one to look after everyone else since then.”

Sadness at her story filled him, only increasing his need to see her safe and happy. This was a new experience for him. He had never wanted to take care of another person before, not really. There had always been an ulterior motive—mostly wanting to get a woman into bed, giving her the impression he was an all-around decent guy, when really all he was thinking about was what was in her panties.

“Where are all your belongings?” he asked. “Your bag? A purse, even?”

Piper shook her head. “I had a bag, but it was stolen.”

“Shit. Shouldn’t you report it?”

Her teeth dug into her lower lip. “I can’t.”

He frowned. “Why not?”

“It’s hard to explain. I just don’t want the cops involved.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “You don’t look like a criminal.”

His comment surprised a small laugh from her. “No, I’m not. I promise. Please, trust me when I say I don’t want the cops around.”

Carter nodded. It wasn’t his place to push her any further. She had nothing to do with him. Just because he’d offered to help her out didn’t give him the right to pry into her life. He assumed she’d get herself rested and warmed up, and then she’d be on her way.

His chest tightened at the thought. He’d lose that incredible scent.

“Well, you can have whatever you need from here. Stay as long as you want.”

He watched her hesitate.

“My life is complicated, Carter. You don’t need to be so kind to me. You don’t know me, and I don’t know you. We just met.”

He lifted both hands in a surrender gesture. “Hey, all I meant was that you have a safe place here if you need it. No pressure. I’ll leave you to it. Take a bath, and I’ll put those clean clothes outside your door, then get some rest. You can do whatever you decide is best in the morning.”

She passed by him, heading toward the bath, as he moved to leave the room. Then she stopped, and stood on tiptoes, and kissed his cheek. The scent of her washed over him, and he couldn’t stop his body’s primal reaction to having her so close. But then she pulled away again, leaving him only with a desire for more.

“Thanks, Carter.”

“No problem, Piper.”

He forced himself to leave, trying not to think of her slipping the dirty smock from her body, leaving her gloriously naked in the steam-filled room. He tried not to think about how her breasts would look in the bath, the nipples peeping out of the bubbles as they floated, unhindered by gravity.

He shook the thought from his head and went to what used to be his parents’ old bedroom. He still had their clothes hung up in the closet and filling the drawers. He probably should get rid of it all—it had been ten years now—but the house was big enough that he didn’t need to use the room. It seemed to him that no harm came from letting things stay just as they had been when they died. His father hadn’t wanted to get rid of any of his mother’s clothing during the two years after she’d passed, so it had never felt right that he clear things out either.

Carter selected a number of items from his mother’s belongings and took them back to the guest suite. He hesitated outside of the door, not wanting to open it if Piper was in the bath. Instead, he placed the clothes on the floor outside the door, figuring she’d find them when she was ready.

The doorbell rang, and he hurried downstairs. Had someone spotted him arriving home with a strange woman on the back of his bike, and was here to ask questions? He didn’t know how he was going to explain what he was doing to someone who’d want to throw a little common sense into the situation. Picking up strange women in the forest and bringing them home wasn’t something that happened every day.

He opened the front door to reveal the tall, lean, black-haired figure of his beta, James, standing on his porch.

“Hey.” James stepped into the house without even waiting for an invitation. “I know it’s getting late, but I’ve got some papers I need you to look at.”

Carter glanced over his shoulder, wondering if Piper would appear at the top of the stairs, perhaps wrapped in a towel, but the spot remained empty.

“Papers?” he said, turning his attention back to James. “What papers?”

“The Evans and the Farmer families are looking to do a house swap. Gladys Evans says their place is too big for just the two of them now, and the Farmers are still popping out offspring. It seems like the sensible thing to do, but I need you to sign off on it.”

“Couldn’t it have waited until morning?” he snapped.

James frowned. “I was passing by. You normally don’t mind. Everything okay?” Then he grimaced. “Ah, shit. You cut up about Kimberly? I heard the two of you split.”

Carter shook his head. “Nah, it’s fine. It’s not like I didn’t see it coming.”

James’s lips twisted, as though considering his alpha’s emotional state. “Okay, as long as you’re sure.” He lifted the paperwork higher. “You want me to come back with these tomorrow, then?”

Coming back for a second time would only increase the possibility of him spotting Piper—if she was even still around by then. He reached out and took the papers.

“Might as well do it now, as you’re here. Then I’m gonna get an early night. It’s been a rough day.”

James stared at him.

“What?” He gritted his teeth.

“Nothing. I just don’t think I’ve ever heard you say you’re going to get an early night before.”

“So sue me.”

He turned and stalked into his office before he could say anything else that got his beta’s spidey-senses tingling. He slammed the paperwork down on the desk and snatched a pen out from the holder. He quickly scanned down the document. It appeared pretty standard—it just needed his signature as alpha to make it official.

Carter scrawled his name then handed the paperwork back to James. “Anything else?”

His beta shook his head. “Nope, that’s it.” His eyes seemed to search Carter’s face, and again Carter was filled with the worry James would somehow guess what he’d done. “Sure there’s nothing you want to talk about?”

“Seriously, James. I’m a big boy. I don’t need a shoulder to cry on just ’cause some chick broke it off with me.”

“Okay.” He started back toward the front door. “But you know where I am if you need me.”

Carter didn’t honor his comment with a reply, and instead showed him to the front door then shut it on his retreating form with relief. The last thing he’d wanted to do was explain the presence of Piper in his home. He didn’t know why, but he wanted to keep her a secret, as though letting the pack know would only break the magic of it.

Though he’d been telling James he was tired in order to get rid of him, he realized the toll of the day had weighed on him. He went to the kitchen to pour himself a nightcap, downing the whiskey in one go, the liquor burning a path down his throat, and then he traipsed back upstairs.

He went to bed, his head filled with thoughts about the girl, now sleeping, he hoped, on the other side of the house.